Overhauling school funding

A plan to approach voters this year

I t wasn't the most attention-grabbing bill coming out of the legislature this year, but the most sweeping change to school funding in Colorado may be near.

On Tuesday, Gov. John Hickenlooper signed into law a measure that could vastly change school finances in Colorado, which has a public education system that ranks among the worst-funded in the nation.

There remains a substantial hurdle. Proposition 103 failed with Colorado voters, despite being the closest thing in years to overhaul school funding. This measure will also need voter support. A group of state leaders, education experts and business owners will now face the task of deciding which specific public school funding initiative will be put on the ballot, likely this November.

It's a daunting task, but a most worthy one.

The goal of the law is to reduce the disparities in per-pupil funding, and the significant achievement gap that exists in our state. That achievement gap, which disproportionately impacts English language learners and other at-risk students, isn't an isolated problem that Coloradans can continue to ignore. Our future depends on having a well-educated population and on extending opportunities to all of our residents. Our economy relies on companies wanting to set up shop, or remain here, and those businesses depend on workers, many of whom are raising families.

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The law, which included ample business group input, funds full-day kindergarten. We are hard-pressed to believe that most Coloradans think full-day kindergarten should be a luxury. And the people least able to afford that luxury are also the ones who can benefit from it most.

The law also gives boards and principals more flexibility to address district- and school-specific challenges. It will enhance preschool education for at-risk students. It also increases transparency. It was sponsored in the House by Rep. Millie Hamner (D-Dillon) and in the Senate by Sens. Mike Johnston (D-Denver) and Rollie Heath (D-Boulder), who was the leader on Proposition 103. It represents the first overhaul since 1994 to the formula used to fund all 178 Colorado school districts.

"The most effective investment in economic development the state can make is through education. Providing a state-of-the-art education enhances our workforce and attracts and retains companies that provide good paying jobs," Heath said.

Throughout the 1970s and most of the 1980s, Colorado was close to on par or above average U.S. per-pupil funding. That has plummeted, with Colorado at about $1,700 below the national average per-pupil rate. We've long advocated for an overhaul of the state's budget process, but today's young people can't wait.

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